A New Start
by Hatakefire
Summary: One other person was in the compartment with Harry and Ron their first year at Hogwarts, a girl who was the embodiment of a true Hufflepuff. How would Harry's life have changed if he was put not in Gryffindor, not in Slytherin, not even Ravenclaw….but Hufflepuff? Join Harry in his years through Hogwarts with his new friend Samantha Taylor and their other Hogwarts companions!
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I have yet to read a "HufflepuffHarry" story, which I find surprising. After all, all 11-year-old Harry wanted was to be accepted and finally have friends. I think Hufflepuff would be the best house for him to do that.**

 **I will be following the books, but may mix in some movie things if I'm going off memory instead of the books. The first few years probably won't have many changes, but Hufflepuff will eventually become a House that is just as respected at the others, and some of their adventures will change due to Harry's new friends. Hermione will still be a friend, and Ron eventually will be. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me. If Sam seems to mary-sue (which would disgust me so please let me know if that happens) and I will shut her down super fast. xD**

 **On with the story!**

Samantha's mother, Gabriella Taylor, desperately tried to straighter he daughter's hair to perfection one last time.

"Mum, the wind from the train is just going to mess it up again," Sam complained.

"Just hold still!" Her mother commanded. Jason Taylor looked on with amusement, Samantha's little brother tucked under his arm.

"Perfect!" Gabriella finally put the brush in her bag. Samantha's long brown hair was sleek and shiny, courtesy of her mother's insistent brushing.

"I'm going to miss the train." Sam insisted. Gabriella ignored her pleas and pulled her in for one last hug. "Remember Sammy, it doesn't matter what House you get in, as long as you're happy and make lots of friends."

"Yes mum. I love you!" Sam kissed her mother's cheek and ruffled her brother's hair. "Take care of them Mikey."

"Love you Sammy!"

Jason helped carry her trunk to the train. "Don't forget to write. I love you sweetheart." He pulled his daughter in for a tight hug.

"Bye Dad." Samantha's eyes watered as her dad let go. He gave her a big smile, and then the train was whistling and she hopped on board. She waved to her family, wiping the tears from her face. _I'll see them at Christmas. And besides, I'm going to Hogwarts!_

 **-BREAK-**

After passing a few compartments that had older students or already had a bunch of younger people in them, she reached one that had two boys in it. She debated looking for one with some girls her age, but her trunk was heavy and she didn't want to lug it all around the train if this was really the last compartment.

"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked, peeking her head into the compartment. The boy with jet black hair and glasses glanced at his red-headed friend.

"Sure." He said.

"Thanks." She slipped in and sat next to the window. There was a moment of awkward silence, and as the black haired boy moved, his hair parted and she saw a glimpse of a lightning scar.

"You're Harry Potter?!" She demanded, shocked. Her parents used him as a lesson to say that no matter how young you were, you could accomplish anything (mostly for chores, which Samantha thought was a terrible comparison, but still).

"Erm, yeah." Harry replied awkwardly. Samantha realized she was staring at his scar and blushed. Her mother would be furious at her manners.

"I'm Samantha Taylor, by the way." She stuck out her hand. "Sorry for the, um, staring."

Harry grinned. "I suppose I'll be getting a lot of that." Samantha smiled in reply. She extended her hand to the red haired boy next.

"Ronald Weasley." He stated, giving her hand a quick shake.

"So Samantha, are you from a full wizarding family too?" Harry asked.

"Sort of. My parents are both muggle-borns, so they don't use too much magic around the house. They just use the practical stuff. But that doesn't stop them from making me do chores." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Tell me about it! My mum always goes on about being responsible, and that I won't be able to whip my wand out for everything when I'm of age." Ron jumped in.

"I can't wait to use magic. I'll never have to wash a dirty dish again." Samantha said.

"That sounds great." Harry agreed.

"What house do you want to be in Harry?" Samantha asked.

"I don't know. I don't know much about the houses." Harry admitted.

"What? How do you not know about the houses?" Ron demanded.

"Well, I was raised by muggles." Harry said, looking a little ashamed. "That's alright Harry!" Sam assured him. "The Houses are Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

"Gryffindor is the best." Ron added. "Slytherin is the worst."

"My parents told me that one house isn't better than the other, and that each house has great qualities." Sam quoted.

"What qualities?" Harry asked, before Ron could go on about how Gryffindor is better than any of the other houses.

"Well, my dad told me it's like this: Slytherin is for the cunning and ambitious. Ravenclaw is for the clever and smart. Gryffindor is for the brave and bold. Hufflepuff is for the kind and loyal."

Ron waved his hand dismissively. "That's just what they want you to think. Slytherin is full of the evil kids, Ravenclaw is for the people who likes books, Gryffindor is for the good and courageous, and Hufflepuff is just a bunch of pushovers."

Sam glared at him. " _I_ want to be in Hufflepuff." A moment of tense silence followed her words.

"Why do you want to be in Hufflepuff?" Harry asked quickly. He didn't want his first two friends to already be mad at each other and hoped more conversation would smooth things over.

"My mom told me to go to the house that will make me happy and where I'll make the most friends. Hufflepuff is known to be friendly and loyal. I love the idea of a bunch of people being nice to each other for seven years." Sam said.

Harry hadn't thought about that. _What if I had to dorm with Dudley for 7 years?_ He was interrupted by an old lady with a trolley walking by.

"Candy from the trolley dears?" She asked kindly.

"I'm good, thanks." Ron said with a grimace, holding up a sandwhich.

"Hold on, I have some money in my trunk." Sam jumped up and began rummaging in her trunk for her coin purse.

Meanwhile, Harry was handing the trolley lady a handful of coins and taking a little bit of everything. _Everything._ Samantha's eyes nearly popped out of her head. Her parents weren't necessarily health freaks, but she had never been allowed near that much candy.

"It's alright Sam, we can share." Harry said.

"Wow, thanks Harry!" She said, sitting back down.

"Ya, thx Hery," Ron added through a pumpkin pastry.

Sam grabbed a chocolate frog, a liquorice wand and a sugar quill. The next hour or so was filled with meaningless chatter, dares to eat Bernie Bott's flavored beans and multiple sugar highs.

A boy came by and asked if they had seen a toad. When they responded with negatives, the poor kid looked near tears and left to search for his lost pet.

"Poor guy." Sam said sympathetically, munching on her Sugar Quill.

"A toad is cool than this old thing." Ron agreed, pointing to his rat.

"At least you have a pet. I'm not allowed one until at least third year. I need to learn more responsibility first." Sam sighed. She loved her parents, but couldn't they understand that the kitten she had seen in the window was _adorable_ and she _needed_ to own it?

"I guess. Fred and George – my older brothers – taught me a spell to turn him yellow." Ron said.

"Can you show us?" Harry asked, eager to see magic being done. Ron pulled out his wand and cleared his throat. Before he could cast the spell though, a girl about their age with bushy hair came by with the same sad looking boy in tow.

"Hello, have any of you seen a toad? Neville's lost his."

"We already told him we haven't seen it." Ron responded. The girl's eyes were drawn to his wand. "Oh, are you doing a spell? Let's see it then."

Clearly uncomfortable, Ron waved his wand and spouted words that were yellow. Scabbers barely even twitched.

"That didn't sound like a real spell." The girl said disapprovingly.

"Do you know any?" Sam asked curiously. The girl's eyes glowed.

"Well, I've read all the books of course, but I've done only a few spells. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way." The three first year's eyes went wide.

"You read all the books?" Sam asked. "Were we supposed to do that?"

Hermione blushed. "I don't think so no. It's just….magic is so fascinating isn't it?"

"What can you do?" Harry asked.

In response, Hermione pulled out her wand and pointed it at Harry's nose. " _Reparo!"_ Harry's crooked and taped up glasses were fixed immediately.

"Wow!" Sam breathed. "That's really good! My mum did that on our window. Mikey – that's my little brother – cracked it when he tried to fly my dad's broom."

"Why was he on a broom?" Harry asked.

"He was trying to play Quidditch." Sam explained. "Quidditch?" Harry asked.

"You don't know what Quidditch is?" Ron, Sam and even Neville asked in surprise.

"Erm – is that a bad thing?" Harry asked uneasily.

"It's only the best sport in the world!" Ron declared.

"I'm going to continue looking for Neville's toad." Hermione said quickly. It looked like Ron was about to go on a rant.

"Oh, I never introduced myself. I'm Samantha Taylor." Sam said, standing up and reaching out to shake their hands.

"Neville Longbottom." Neville said, after she shook Hermione's hand. Sam gave him a warm smile. "Nice to meet you! Maybe we'll all be in the same House."

"Maybe." Neville mumbled, giving her a shy smile. Hermione and Neville departed after that and Ron launched into the intricacies of the game of Quidditch.

Sam had just swallowed a Bernie Bott Bean (Vanilla, score!) when a blonde boy and two boys who looked like miniature bodyguards came by their compartment.

"Rumor is that Harry Potter is on the train." The boy said.

"What's it to you?" Sam asked. She had a few bullies at her primary school, and they all shared the same facial expression of disdain and superiority.

" _I'm_ Draco Malfoy." Draco said, as if that explained everything. "Let me guess –" He turned to Ron. "Hand me down robes, red hair, freckles – you must be a Weasley?"

"Yeah, so what?" Ron demanded.

"You shouldn't hang out with riff-raff like the Weasley's and this no-name over here." Draco turned. "I can help you there." Draco extended his hand to Harry.

"I think I can choose my own friends, thanks." Harry responded coldly. Draco glared at him. He looked like he wanted to say more, but it was 3 on 3, and he didn't want to fight a girl. His father had raised him better than that.

"You'll regret this Potter." Malfoy said at last, and stalked away.

"Ponce." Ron muttered. Sam smiled mischievously at Harry. "Defending your friends Harry, how very Hufflepuff of you!"

"No, he stood up to Malfoy. That was brave and so he's a Gryffindor." Ron argued.

"Nope, it was for his friends. Out of _loyalty._ Completely a Hufflepuff move."

"Gryffindor!"

"Hufflepuff!"

"I think it was more Slytherin, honestly." Harry interrupted. Ron and Samantha stared at him in surprise for a second, before Harry broke into a grin. Ron and Sam burst into laughter. Harry smiled, happy he had made his new friends laugh. Inwardly, however, he couldn't help but think, _What House do I really want to be in? Can I choose between them?_

 **What did you guys think? Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thank you for everyone who has read the story so far and a special shout out to Dawnfire11, my first reviewer! Thank you for the advice and compliments, you rock!**

 **Onward!**

Sam had gone to the bathroom to change into her robes, and arrived back at the compartment just as the train was slowing to a stop. The conductor announced that they should leave their trunks on the train. Harry looked a little surprised at that, but Ron simply waved his hand and said "Magic" and that was enough for him.

"Firs' years! This way!" A loud voice boomed over the crowd of students. Samantha looked up to see the largest man she had ever seen, covered in a thick coat and his face surrounded by a thick beard. She squeezed through the crowd, following Harry, who made it to the giant man and grinned brightly.

"Hey Hagrid!" Harry called.

"Harry!" Hagrid greeted him, his face breaking into a smile. It made him look more like an overgrown puppy than an evil monster, and Sam relaxed.

"Alright, no more than four to a boat." Hagrid ordered as they reached the lake. Sam, Ron and Harry grabbed a boat and were joined by Neville. Sam reached into the water, letting her fingers trail through the lake, until she saw a shadow approach her fingers. She snatched her hand away.

"Hagrid, what's in the water?" She asked nervously. A few other first years began looking over the sides of their boat.

"Nothing to worry about. Just a giant squid. He likes to see the first years." _Giant squid?_ Sam thought. She scooted closer to Neville who was sitting next to her on the boat.

The passed under a screen of lichen, and Samantha got her first glimpse of Hogwarts. It was _beautiful._ Tall, dark towers stretched above the main grounds, lights glimmering in the window. The castle was intimidating and breath-taking at the same time and the very air around it screamed magic. Samantha loved it immediately.

"Woah." Neville said. Sam nodded emphatically in agreement.

They clambered out of their boats and walked up a path to a set of tall double doors. Hagrid glanced around to make sure he hadn't lost anybody, then knocked on the door.

 **-Break-**

A stern looking witch had opened the doors and had introduced herself as Minerva McGonagall. She lead them to a waiting room, gave a speech about the Houses, and then left. The first years began whispering to themselves about what she had meant about sorting. Ron told anyone who would hear that they would be facing a troll. Hermione whispered spells underneath her breath. Sam stood next to Harry who was looking rather pale.

"You as nervous as I am?" Sam asked.

"Probably more." Harry admitted.

"It's alright. If something goes wrong I'll go with you and we'll take over Hogwarts." Sam assured him. Harry laughed.

"I don't think McGonagall would like that." Sam had the image of the stern professor taking points from them and giving out detention for taking over Hogwarts and giggled. She stopped when the door opened.

"We're ready for you." Professor McGonagall stated, and Sam followed the rest of the first years into the Great Hall.

 **-BREAK-**

"Potter, Harry." _This is it._ Harry thought. _The hat is going to say I'm not magic enough. Or put me in Slytherin. Or attack me._ His thoughts swirled in his head as he sat on the stool. The last thing he saw before Professor McGonagall put the hat on his head was Sam smiling at him. Then the cloth slipped over his head and he could see nothing else.

 _Ah, Harry Potter. I was wondering when I was going to meet you._ Harry jumped.

 **Um, hello. You can read my thoughts?**

 _Yes, Mr. Potter. It is how I Sort the students._ Harry relaxed slightly.

 _Hmm….a strong mind. Brave and loyal….and a thirst to prove yourself. You would do well in Slytherin._

 **Please, please not Slytherin! Anything but Slytherin. Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, but not Slytherin!**

 _Hufflepuff? You're a bit more suited to Gryffindor than that._

 **I want to have friends.** Harry admitted.

 _I see….loyal to a fault, aren't you? You want to fit in. To have friends. To meet kind people, who you have rarely known living with those muggles._ Harry felt slightly uncomfortable with the hat analyzing him like that, and just decided to stay silent.

 _Well…if that's really what you want….I guess it better be_

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The cloth was removed from his head. The Hufflepuff table immediately burst into cheers for their new Housemate. He hurried to them. There were a few upset shouts from the Gryffindor table, but before Harry could focus on those he was surrounded by the Hufflepuffs. He sat down by two first year boys and two girls who had been sorted before him. They all gave him friendly smiles and a few upper years shook his hand as he sat down. He looked up at Hagrid, and though he looked surprise he still smiled at him. Harry smiled back and relaxed.

"Taylor, Samantha." Harry watched his friend walk up to the Sorting Hat and crossed his fingers, hoping she would join him at the Hufflepuff table.

 **-BREAK-**

 _Taylor eh? Hmm, loyal, fiercely protective of your friends, and a desire to prove yourself. Very ambitious, but mostly for your friends. A Slytherin quality there, but overall you have to be_

"HUFFLEPUFF!" Samantha let out a small sigh of relief. She walked quickly to the Hufflepuff table, who were cheering for her. She sat between Harry and a girl – Hannah Abbott if she remembered correctly – as the Hall quieted down once more.

Ronald was sorted into Gryffindor. His brothers cheered him on. Sam waved to him and Neville from the Hufflepuff table. Finally, Zabini, Blaise was sorted into Slytherin. Albus Dumbledore stood up.

"Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you." The Headmaster sat back down.

"Is he….a bit mad?" Harry asked uncertainly.

"Yes. Yes he is. Justin by the way, Justin Finch-Fletchley." The boy across from Harry said.

"My aunt says he's just as brilliant as he is mad though. Susan Bones, pleasure is all mine." The witch sitting across from Hannah added.

"I'm Samantha Taylor."

"Ernie Macmillan."

"Hannah Abbott.

"Harry Potter." Immediately all eyes went to his scar, but to his surprise they quickly dropped.

"Want some potatoes Harry?" Sam asked, holding up a plate. Harry's eyes went wide at the assortment of food before him. There was everything he could ever want and more. He loaded up his plate eagerly, and conversation was halted for the moment as everyone dug in.

Harry had the most food he had ever had in his whole life. It was absolutely delicious. He was just starting to get full and wishing there was a spell for widening his stomach when the food disappeared….only to be replaced with desserts. He grabbed some treacle tart for himself and watched with amusement as Samantha's eyes went wide. Her plate became piled with almost everything in reach, especially the foods with chocolate on them.

The first-years weren't feeling as though they were starving anymore, and conversation started again. They talked about families, and Harry was relieved he wasn't the only one who didn't know about magic until about a month ago. Justin Finch-Fletchley shared the feeling, and soon the two were comparing muggle school to what they thought magic school would be like.

Ernie and Susan were already acquaintances from some pure-blood party or another that their parents attended from time to time. Hannah and Sam joined them in a conversation of guessing other family lines based on how confused the first years looked and how snobbish those at the Slytherin table looked. The blonde boy, Draco, was immediately identified as a pureblood, and her fellow Hufflepuff joined Sam in her amusement as she retold their meeting with him on the train.

Finally, the food disappeared and Albus Dumbledore stood up. Samantha tried her hardest to pay attention but the food had made her warm and sleepy. Avoid something on the third floor, don't go into the Forbidden Forest – _wonder why. Maybe because its forbidden?_ Sam thought sarcastically – and Quidditch tryouts would happen at some point.

The next thing she knew the first years were being rounded up by a prefect and they were hustled out of the Great Hall. The prefect encouraged them to look for signs to remember their way back to the Great Hall, but Sam was pretty sure she would forget by the time they got to the dorms. Finally, the first years halted at a pile of barrels.

"The Hufflepuff dorm is the only dorm that actually defends against intruders. We are also the only House that has had no other House inside its walls. The other Houses have passwords that change and are hard to keep track of and can be easily found out. And if you get the password wrong you just have to wait until someone else comes by. If you get this password wrong, you get doused in vinegar. So listen closely." The male prefect warned. Harry felt pride at that. He already liked Hufflepuff, with its friendly people and apparently best defense system.

The prefect took out his wand and tapped the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row. "Tap this in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff, our founder and you will be let in."

"And your housemates will definitely appreciate you not smelling like vinegar." The female prefect added with amusement. The prefects led the way through a low-ceilinged tunnel. Harry certainly felt like a badger, hunched over in a dark tunnel. He hoped the dorms weren't like this. Ernie, who was ahead of him, gave a low whistle of appreciation as he entered the common room. Harry followed and his eyes opened wide at the Hufflepuff common room – _his_ common room.

The room was round and earthy and low-ceilinged. Circular windows went around the room, letting in moonlight. If Harry squinted into the night, he could just make out a field of grass and what appeared to be dandelions. There was a lot of burnished copper and even more plants. Unlike his Aunt Petunia, who had a neat little garden of matching flowers, the common room seemed to have all kinds of plants, in pots around the room and hanging from the ceiling. The colors were exotic but at the same time calming, which gave a homey feel to the room despite the seemingly haphazard way the plants were placed.

The furniture, decorated in the House colors of black and yellow, looked ridiculously comfortable and overstuffed. A few upper-years were already there, and it looked like they couldn't be more content in the chairs and couches.

"I'm sure you're all very tired. You can all go to sleep, but in the morning we expect you here at 8am sharp. We will give you the Welcoming Speech and bring you to the Great Hall for breakfast. My name is Matilda Hudson and this is Gabriel Truman. If you have any questions you can always come to us. Girls on the left and boys on the right. Good night." The prefects went to their rooms after that, leaving the first years by themselves.

"Well, good night." Susan said, dispelling the awkward silence.

"See you in the morning!" Sam added.

"Good night!" The first years chorused at each other. Sam and Susan left with Hannah, who was tripping over her own feet in tiredness. Harry followed the other boys to the round opening on the right. He was also quite tired, but there was a warm glow in his chest. He had friends, he had magic, and soon he would have a bed to sleep in. Life finally seemed to be looking up for Harry Potter.

 **What do you guys think? Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you to all who favorited and followed. I am trying to find my copy of** _ **The Sorcerer's Stone**_ **but if anyone knows of an online timeline or something like that it would really help. Updates are slow because finals are approaching and I have a job, etc. etc., but I'll try to update quicker next time.**

 **Enjoy!**

Harry woke up half-expecting to be under the cupboard again, but as he stretched on his soft mattress he concluded it couldn't be true. The blankets he slept with were black with yellow patterns and his bed was surrounded by black and yellow curtains that he could draw around his bed. He did this now as he changed into his school robes.

"You up Harry?" He heard Ernie whisper. He pulled the drapes back to see Ernie sitting on the bed to his right. There were three beds in total, and Harry's was right by the window. They each had their own desk and dresser, and the three boys would share a bathroom.

"Yeah. What time is it?" Harry asked. Ernie checked a fancy-looking watch. "7:45. We should wake Justin up."

Justin was currently burrowed ( _kind of like a badger_ Harry thought with amusement) under his blankets and only a tuft of brown hair was poking out. Ernie went over and shook Justin awake while Harry unpacked some of his clothes.

At 7:59 Justin was finally out of bed and ready, and the boys rushed downstairs to the common room. The girls appeared a second later, dragging Susan Bones behind them, who's entire appearance screamed "NOT A MORNING PERSON".

"Glad to see you all made it." Gabriel Truman greeted them. "Matlida and I will be taking you to the Great Hall for breakfast and then tell you where your classes are so you don't get hopelessly lost."

"But first, the Welcoming Speech. It's given to every Hufflepuff, and one day two of you will give it to other firsties." Matilda said. Harry had an image of an older version of him, giving advice to first-years and knowing all sorts of cool spells and stating why Hufflepuff was the best and he smiled.

"Alright. First off, Welcome to Hufflepuff House!" Gabriel started. "Our emblem is the badger, an animal that is often underestimated, because it lives quietly until attacked, but which, when provoked, can fight off animals much larger than itself, including wolves. Our house colors are yellow and black, if you didn't guess that already. Now, there are a few things you should know about Hufflepuff house. First of all, let's deal with a perennial myth about the place, which is that we're the least clever house. WRONG. Hufflepuff is certainly the least boastful house, but we've produced just as many brilliant witches and wizards as any other. One of our alumni even founded Hogsmeade, the village third-years and up go to, but you don't need to worry about that until later."

"Hufflepuffs are trustworthy and loyal. We don't shoot our mouths off, but cross us at your peril; like our emblem, the badger, we will protect ourselves, our friends and our families against all-comers. Nobody intimidates us." Matilda added.

"Giving the Welcome Speech?" A plump, friendly witch asked, coming through the portrait hole.

"Yes, Professor Sprout." Gabriel said.

"Well, congratulations on becoming a member of the friendliest, most decent and most tenacious house of them all." Professor Sprout smiled. "I'm your Head of House. I can't stay long. I just like to say hello to all of you personally before the day starts. Oh, and here are your schedules." Sprout winked. "I'm giving the rest out at breakfast, but firsties always need some extra time getting to class. I'll see you in Herbology!" She smiled one more time and left.

Harry knew he would probably feel this way about his House no matter which one it had ended up being, but he was very happy with his House history. It was almost the exact opposite of the Dursley's. All of his Housemates seemed friendly, his Head of House was friendly, even the upper-years were friendly! After years of neglect and negativity, he felt almost overwhelmed, but at the same time we greedily soaked in all the wonders of Hogwarts.

"Alright, time for breakfast you lot!" Gabriel said, ushering them out. Sam stepped in beside Harry, and together they tried to figure out if they could remember where to go from last night.

"Glad you're in Hufflepuff Harry?" Samantha asked. Harry nodded. "Everyone is so nice!"

"Well, except Susan." Sam whispered, nodding to the girl who still looked half-asleep. Harry snickered quietly behind his hand.

The Great Hall was a bustle of activity, as most of the students had woken up early for their first day of classes. Harry was disappointed that he didn't see Ron at the Gryffindor table, but joined Sam in her enthusiastic waving at Neville and Hermione, which was tentatively returned.

"Who are they?" Susan asked curiously.

"We met them on the train." Harry explained as they all sat down. "I wonder where Ron is."

"He might be lost. Is he another Gryffindor?" Gabriel, who had sat down near them, joined the conversation.

"Yeah. Why would he be lost?" Harry asked.

"The other Houses just let their first-years find their way themselves. We believe in hard-work, but we don't believe in trusting 11 year olds by themselves in a giant magic castle." Gabriel explained.

"That makes sense." Harry agreed.

"I would have been lost the moment I walked outside." Hannah added.

"Wait, when you say 'magic castle' d'you mean the castle itself is magic?" Justin asked. Gabriel nodded. "Well, you see…."

The rest of breakfast was used to eat and listen to Gabriel's crazy tales of fake doors, moving staircases and misleading paintings.

"Mathilda will take you to Charms. The first few days an older Hufflepuff will take you to your classes until you get the hang of it. We won't be walking you around after that, but always feel free to ask one of the older 'Puffs how to get to class." Gabriel said.

Harry was once again relieved that he had gotten into Hufflepuff house. Like Hannah, he would have immediately gotten lost in the castle. He was upset that he wasn't with Ron, as he was his first friend, but he had also gained five new friends, so it wasn't all bad.

"Hey we have Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology with the Gryffindors. You can say hi to Ron then." Samantha said.

"And we have Defense first. Let's go." Ernie said, eager to start classes.

Magic classes were very different from the classes Harry was used to. For example, a teacher at Harry's old school would never wear a purple turban that smelled of garlic. He had been looking forward to Defense, not only so he could see Ron but also because it sounded really cool. He was hoping to come back from his first year at Hogwarts and be able to defend himself if Dudley ever wanted to play "Harry Hunting" again.

But Ron was sitting at one side of the classroom surrounded by the other Gryffindors. The Hufflepuffs sat on the other side of the classroom, and the last of Harry's hopes for the class were crushed when he realized Professor Quirrel could barely talk without stuttering.

"That was disappointing. I was hoping we were going to actually do magic." Justin voiced Harry's thoughts sullenly.

"Aunt Amelia says we should be doing magic in Transfiguration, and that's right after Lunch." Susan said.

Transfiguration was definitely going to be a hard class. Harry's first impression of Professor McGonagall had been correct, as she started of the class with a lecture about following the rules and then they took notes before they started practicing turning matchsticks into needles.

A Ravenclaw who McGonagall addressed as Mr. Boot was awarded a point for being the closest to transforming their needle. His had turned gray and smooth.

The rest of Harry's classes differed in difficulty and dullness. History of Magic, for example, was extremely dull once he got over the excitement of having a ghost for a teacher. Charms, on the other hand, seemed interesting. Once again, however, Ron had been surrounded by the Gryffindor boys, much to Harry's disappointment. Sam and Harry sat as close as they could, but they were busy taking notes and didn't get a chance to converse with any of the people they had met on the train.

Sam was just as frustrated by this as Harry was, apparently, because during Herbology she plopped herself right next to Neville before the Gryffindors had a chance to sit next to him. This caused some confusion, as the Houses had their own kind of seating chart arranged at this point. Hermione became the odd one out and she sat next to Hannah, while Harry, who had not been as quick as Sam, ended up next to Justin instead of Ron.

Despite that minor setback, and the few dull points in his classes, Harry was beyond happy to be at Hogwarts. He became close very quickly with the other Hufflepuffs, and even joined them in the Library the first day after class because Ernie and Susan wanted to see it, even though he wasn't particularly a fan of libraries. Everything seemed great…

Until their first Potions class.

 **Thank you for reading, please review! Sorry it's a little short.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! My best friend is lending me her copy of the Sorcerer's Stone, so hopefully the chapters will be better now! Thanks for everyone who read, reviewed, favorited or followed. I really appreciate the support :)**

 **Also, I am going to try and do Hagrid's accent, but not much cause I'm really bad at it. Just a warning xD**

 **Enjoy!**

Susan Bones had heard from her Aunt that Professor Snape was a harsh teacher, and had suggested they read their books before class. And so the Hufflepuffs, plus Neville, who Sam had seen in the corridor on their way to the library and insisted that he join them in their study session, had spent an hour reading chapter summaries and skimming the potions in their textbooks. Between them, they covered the first seven chapters, which Harry thought should be enough, or really it was just cruel.

They reached the dungeons, which were cold, dark and creepy.

"Well this really sets the mood." Justin muttered,. Sam snorted.

"Hey, maybe it's just something to do with potions….like they like the dark or something." Ernie suggested half-heartedly. They entered the classroom and Samantha took a seat next to Harry. The Ravenclaws, of course, were already there.

Professor Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking role. He read through the list of names evenly, and only paused when he reached Harry's name.

"Ah, yes," he said softly, "Our new…..celebrity." Samantha stiffened, obviously offended on his behalf. Justin looked like he was about to say something as well before Ernie nudged him.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making." Professor Snape began. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through the human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses….I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Silence followed his speech. Sam looked impressed, as did Justin and Ernie, who sat in front of them.

"Potter!" said Snape suddenly. "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" A few of the Ravenclaws raised their hands.

 _Asphodel! That's for….uh...calming? I don't remember. Why doesn't he ask the Ravenclaws?_

"I don't know, sir." said Harry. Snape's lips curled into a sneer.

"Tut, tut - fame clearly isn't everything." He said, while ignoring the Ravenclaws.

"Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?"

"The stomach of a goat!" Harry replied, quite pleased with himself. He remembered that fact because he had found it weird that potions ingredients could be found somewhere so odd and non-magical.

Professor Snape slightly raised an eyebrow, surprised. His black eyes bore into Harry's emerald green ones for a brief moment before his eyes switched to the Ravenclaws who still had their hands up.

"And what is the bezoar for, Mr. Goldstein?" He asked.

"Poisons sir." The Ravenclaw answered promptly. Snape's eyes swept over the classroom, once again landing on Harry's before looking at the classroom as a whole.

"One point to Ravenclaw." Harry thought that was a bit unfair, because he had earned no points for Hufflepuff, but he knew better than to press his luck, as Professor Snape had seemed intent on hating him from the start. At least now that Harry didn't look like 'a big dunderhead', Snape seemed to be giving him a second chance.

Harry didn't know why he needed a second chance in the first place, but he wasn't about to ask Snape.

"For your information, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of the Living Death." Blank stares answered Snape's statement.

"Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?" He snapped.

Immediately the class rummaged for their parchment and quills.

"Nice one Harry," Sam whispered. "Thought you were toast."

"Me too." Harry said back. Professor Snape set them to work on a simple potion to cure boils. Samantha, it turns out, was awful with Potions. She miscounted when things had to be put in and didn't measure them out correctly. Harry, in response, had to be extra careful for fear of blowing up their potion. She prepared ingredients and Harry did everything to do with timing and measuring. In the end, they managed an above average potion. Snape said nothing, but he didn't glare with as much spite as he did when he first saw Harry, so Harry counted that as a win.

Hannah actually earned a point for Hufflepuff, as she had made a potion that looked exactly as it was described in the book, and even Professor Snape couldn't fault that.

"Snape sure had a bone to pick with you mate." Ernie commented as they left the Potions classroom.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what that was about." Harry frowned.

"It seems like you impressed him though." Hannah said.

"Not as much as you did though!" Susan said. "That potion was all you. I just sat there and watched." Hannah blushed bright red.

"Not really, I just put the ingredients in. You prepared them." Hannah pointed out modestly. Samantha shook her head emphatically.

"Harry and I did that and our potion didn't turn out nearly as well as yours did." She grabbed Hannah by the shoulders and stared into her eyes. "You must teach me your Potion ways."

"...you're making me uncomfortable Sam."

"That's what she does best." Justin said cheekily. Sam smacked him lightly on the shoulder.

"Oh now that wasn't very Hufflepuff-like now was it Sam?" Harry teased.

"Like you would know how Hufflepuffs act Mr. Almost Gryffindor." Samantha shot back.

"Oi! Harry's not brave at all, he could never be a Gryffindor." Ernie said.

"Thanks Ern, that makes me feel better." Harry said sarcastically as they entered the Common Room to drop of their bags before dinner.

"No problem mate." Ernie winked at him.

"Don't worry Harry, cowardice suits you." Justin patted his back consolingly.

"Would a coward do this?" Harry stole Justin's quill from his bookbag.

"Hey, give it back!" Justin cried, reached for it. Harry tossed it to Ernie, who tossed it to Hannah. A miniature war began, Susan and Sam joining Justin to try and get his quill back. It ended when Sam and Susan tag-teamed Hannah by pinning her legs and arms down while Justin wrestled the quill away from her.

Harry, who had ended up sprawled on the floor after Susan had knocked him over getting to Hannah, couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation, a bubble of joy filling him up until he thought he would burst.

The night only got better, when, at dinner, Hedwig dropped off his first letter.

"It's from Hagrid!" Harry said in surprise, reading the letter out loud to his friends.

 _ **Dear Harry,**_

 _ **I know you get Friday afternoon off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig**_

 _ **Hagrid**_

Harry quickly took out his quill and scribbled, _Yes, please, see you later_ on the back of the note, gave Hedwig a bit of chicken, then sent her back to Hagrid's.

"I didn't realize you and Hagrid were close." Samantha commented, reading over his shoulder.

"Give him some privacy Sam," Ernie chastised through a mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"Yes because you're the expert in manners." Samantha stated drily, just as some mashed potatoes fell back onto his plate.

"Honestly Ernie that's just disgusting." Susan said, scooting away from him. Ernie, his mouth still too full to retort, just glared at her.

The next day passed quickly, the only downer being that they received homework in Transfiguration. Samantha had yet to make her needle do anything beyond being shiny and only if you put it in the light a certain way, and complained about it on her way down the path to Hagrid's hut.

"You just have to _see_ the change to make it happen." Justin, who had agreed to join Harry and Sam to meet Hagrid, was trying to explain.

"I can't see the change if the change doesn't happen!" Sam argued.

"Well that's hardly the needle's fault is it?" Justin reasoned as they reached the door. Harry ignored Sam's muttering of, 'yes it is stupid needle' and knocked on the door.

They immediately heard frantic scrabbling at the door and several booming barks, along with Hagrid's voice yelling, "Back Fang - back!"

Hagrid's big, hairy face appeared as he cracked open the door. "Hello - I said back Fang!" He opened the door completely, keeping a firm grip on the enormous black boarhound's collar.

"Make yerselves at home." Hagrid said, waving to the chairs around the table in the center of the small hut. He busied himself making tea while Harry and his friends sat down. Fang immediately took a liking to Justin, setting his head on the Hufflepuff boys' lap and drooling all over his robes. Justin didn't seem to mind, scratching the big dog behind his ears, which made Fang drool even more.

"This is Justin Finch-Fletchley and Samantha Taylor." Harry introduced his friends.

"Taylor? As in Jason Taylor?" Hagrid asked. Samantha nodded. "I knew him! He and his girlfriend Gabriella were always wandering on the grounds at night cause they were in different Houses and it was the only place they could meet up. Caught em a couple of times myself". Hagrid said.

"Yeah, Gabriella is my mum." Sam said, blushing slightly.

"Good pair o' kids." Hagrid said as he served them tea and rock cakes, which turned out to be shapeless lumps whose pupose seemed to be to break their teeth. Justin, Sam and Harry pretending to nibble on them while telling Hagrid about their first week of classes. Hagrid had a few fun stories and facts about teachers, and even called Filch "that old git" causing Justin to snort into his tea.

Harry tentatively brought up the Potions lessons and his concerns that Professor Snape had been set on hating him from the start.

Hagrid assured him he was like that with all of his students, and congratulated him on being one of the few students that wasn't a Ravenclaw to actually answer one of first day questions correctly.

"Ya did much better than poor Neville Longbottom did. He melted his partner's cauldron on the first day."

"That makes me feel a bit better; at least I didn't melt mine. I'm rubbish at Potions." Sam explained. While Hagrid and the other two discussed Potions, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying under a tea cozy. It was an article titled, **GRINGOTT'S BREAK-IN LATEST.**

"Hagrid!" Harry said, "that break-in happened on my birthday! It might've happened while we were there!" Hagrid definitely did not meet his eyes as he said this and changed the subject by offering him a rock cake.

"That was a bit weird." Sam commented as they left.

"Yeah. But Hagrid seemed nice." Justin said. Sam nodded. "He needs a better rock cake recipe though. Maybe I could ask my mum to send him one, she loves to cook."

Harry didn't join in on their conversation though. He was too busy thinking about the small package that Hagrid had taken that very same day from Gringott's. Had that been what the thieves were after? What was in that package?

 **Once again, sorry it's a little short. It seemed like a good place to end. Let me know what you think! Also: I know the story is following the Sorcerer's Stone pretty closely right now, but after all: it's only the first week! There will be bigger changes farther along, but they're just first-years so the major changes may not happen until later on in the series.**

 **Please review, I love hearing your thoughts!**

 **~Hatakefire**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed! It really motivates me to keep writing, knowing that people actually like the story xD**

 **Also, I know right now it's all happy and magical and friendship and stuff. There will be some drama, but you have to remember they're 11-year-old Hufflepuffs, so while there will be drama and, well, the main plotline, it's not going to get too crazy until later on**

 **Enjoy!**

Harry had mostly managed to avoid Draco Malfoy, the boy who had antagonized him on the train. They rarely crossed paths in the hallway and they only had Astronomy together, where he was too tired to do much more than sneer at Harry. Or it might be because even Malfoy was afraid of the power of numbers, and Harry knew if Malfoy tried anything, he would have five Hufflepuffs at his side. It was still a bit weird, walking through hallways and not feeling as though he were being judged or insulted. The first week, there had been whispered comments in the halls and in the classrooms when students spotted his scar. His Hufflepuff friends has closed ranks around him, laughing and talking with him, and their presence drowned out the unfriendly remarks until they died down. It was an amazing feeling, and he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Still, it was a relief when Harry found out that they would have flying lessons with the Ravenclaws starting Thursday afternoon at 4:30.

"Ooh, Gryffindors and Slytherins have flying together? That's sure to have some fireworks." Samantha commented, reading over his shoulder.

"Neville can tell us what happened while we stay out of the line of fire." Susan said.

Neville had quickly become a friend of the Hufflepuff group. Sam had affectionately dubbed him their "Adopted Lion". Neville hadn't made close friends in his House, and the Hufflepuffs, being the friendly people they are, had absorbed him into their ranks. Neville would sit near them during classes and would meet them when they went to the library twice a week (at Susan's insistence). At first, the Hufflepuffs had been slightly uncomfortable having a Gryffindor in their ranks, but Sam had been persistent in him staying with them, and soon he was part of the group.

Harry wished being friends with Ron was so easy. Once flying lessons were announced, Ron would tell anyone who would listen that he had almost hit a hang glider while riding his older brother's broom. Harry had tried to talk to him after listening to the story, but while Ron seemed somewhat interested, it was extremely awkward, and when Dean Thomas had come by stating that soccer was better than Quidditch, Ron had completely ignored him in favor of arguing with his fellow Gryffindor.

"It's just House Rivalry." Hannah explained to Harry, not unkindly, when they were sitting in the Library one night.

"But Hufflepuff and Gryffindor don't have that strong of a rivalry, right? I mean, we're friends with Neville."

"He's a bit stubborn Harry." Neville, who was Ron's dormmate and knew him best, explained. "His whole family is in Gryffindor."

"Well I think it's ridiculous. You should be friends with anyone you want to be." Justin said.

"You didn't grow up hearing good or bad things about other Houses thought." Ernie explained. "Some families try to keep their children open-minded so they don't stress too much about their House, but since Ron has a big family, his older brothers' prejudices probably affected him."

"Cheer up Harry. You have us, and Ron will come around." Hannah said, ever the optimist.

"But until then, what do you guys think the flying lesson will be like?" Samantha asked, changing the topic. Neville, who was accident-prone, had never flown a broom before, and Harry and Justin, raised by muggles, hadn't either.

Ernie and Susan were purebloods (which they explained to Harry meant having wizard parents) and had flown a lot, however neither of them were too interested in the sport, and Ernie didn't really like flying at all.

Hannah enjoyed being a spectator, and could fly, just not very well. She preferred to have her feet on the ground and watch others fly.

Samantha, on the other hand, had a Quidditch-crazy father. Before her little brother was born, she had been the one to be subjected to his love of Quidditch, as her mother would take no part in it. As such, she was the one, with some help from Hannah, to explain the rules of Quidditch to Harry and Justin, and who assured them that flying would be tons of fun.

"It's really simple. And they teach muggle-borns all the time here so you two won't be at a disadvantage."

"Malfoy seems to think we will be." Harry pointed out. The Slytherin first-year had been boasting all week about his flying skills.

"Well let's just hope Malfoy falls off his broom then." Justin said cheerfully.

"Justin!" Susan scolded. Justin looked up innocently. "What? We all want it to happen." Harry and Sam laughed as Susan just rolled her eyes.

"Our flying lesson starts now. See you!" Neville said suddenly as he checked the clock.

"Bye Neville!" The first-years chorused. "Good luck!" Samantha called.

"Well, let's get started on our Transfiguration homework then." Ernie said as soon as Neville left. Sam groaned.

"Oh come on, we'll all help you." Hannah encouraged.

"I won't." Justin said. Sam smacked his arm. "Ow! Abuse! Harry, back me up?" Harry shook his head. "You know if I do the girls will take her side, and so will Ernie, and we'll lose."

"Well that's because he is a girl." Justin explained, only to receive a hit on his other arm, this time from Ernie.

"Ouch! What is this, pick on Justin day?" He complained.

"Every Thursday." Sam said seriously, finally taking out her quill to do her work. Justin grumbled under his breath, but his eyes showed his amusement.

The next forty-five minutes consisted of finishing their homework and helping Sam memorize the wand movements. Hannah actually came up with a little rhyme "Swish left, swish right, then swish like a kite." They finished at 4:20, giving them just enough time to walk to the Quidditch pitch.

The Gryffindors and Slytherins were leaving, giving each other a wide berth. Ron was glaring angrily at Draco, who was holding a ball in his hands and smirking. Neville was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Neville?" Sam called as the Hufflepuffs approached the other first years.

"Ask _him."_ Ron spat, still glaring at Malfoy. Sam turned to Draco, raising an eyebrow.

"The idiot fell off his own broom." Malfoy snorted. "I had nothing to do with it."

"Yeah, but then you - !" Ron started, but was cut off as Madame Hooch appeared. "That's enough! Your lesson is done. Come along now." She gestured to the arriving first-years. As they passed Harry tried to make eye contact with Ron, but Ron was too busy still glaring at Draco. Harry, despite expecting it at this point, still felt disappointed. He jumped slightly as Hannah placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. Harry smiled at her. She was right. If Ron came around, he would, but for now, he had friends right by his side.

The Ravenclaws had already arrived, as usual, and so the Hufflepuffs lined up across from them. Madame Hooch wasted no time; as soon as they were all standing by a broom she began speaking.

"Stick out your right hand over your broom," she instructed, "and say 'Up!'".

"UP!" The first-years shouted. Harry was surprised and pleased when his broom immediately leapt straight into his hands. Justin's gave a weird sort of hop. Sam's had also jumped straight into her hand, but she had dropped it in her surprise.

"Oh hush." She snapped when Harry smirked at her. Justin's broom seemed to be dancing, as he kept yelling 'up!' at it before it had a chance to fall down and so it was doing a weird, consistent hopping motion.

"Mr. Finch-Fletchley!" Madame Hooch swooped over. "Give yourself and your broom a moment, would you? Take a deep breath and focus." Justin followed her instructions, and soon he was holding his broom in his hand.

Madame Hooch adjusted their grips as they mounted their brooms, and on her command, the first-years jumped into the air. Harry felt a rush of excitement as he soared upwards. But it ended all too soon as Madame Hooch ordered them back down. They went up and down a couple of times until Madame Hooch was satisfied they all had the hang of it. She then had the first-years line up in a loose circle and had them hovering only 3 feet off the ground. They practiced stopping and starting in mid-air. A first-year Ravenclaw stopped so suddenly that she fell off her broom, taking another Ravenclaw with her. Justin almost did the same thing, but he caught himself in time.

They slowly increased their height until they were hovering 10 feet in the air. Harry enjoyed circling with his broom, but he itched to go faster.

"You're a natural Harry!" Hannah called from behind him. Harry smiled in delight.

"Yeah Harry. You should try out for the Quidditch team next year! You're already better than Ernie." Ernie, who was clutching his broom much too tightly and going slower than everyone else, glared at Sam.

"Yeah, that sounds fun!" Harry agreed quickly before Ernie could respond.

"Alright, that's enough for today. See you next Thursday!" Madame Hooch said.

"That was excellent!" Justin said excitedly as they piled their brooms up and starting working their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

"I knew you would love it." Samantha laughed.

"Are you going to try out next year?" Harry asked.

"I don't know. I don't think I'll be good enough by next year. Maybe though." Justin said thoughtfully. They arrived in the Great Hall and Sam paused, stretching on her tiptoes as she looked over people's heads.

"Samantha, you're in the way." Susan complained, scooting past her friend.

"I'm looking for Neville." Sam explained, moving over a bit to let Hannah and Ernie through.

"There he is!" Harry pointed him out at the Gryffindor table. Neville looked quite gloomy, and was poking at his food with his left hand, obviously having difficulty eating. His right hand was wrapped up.

Samantha left the group and headed towards the Gryffindor table.

"What is she doing now?" Ernie asked exasperatedly. Harry shrugged and followed her. The rest of the Hufflepuffs hovered awkwardly for a second, then went and sat at the Hufflepuff table, though they kept their eye on their friends.

"…..to make sure it heals." Neville was saying, pointing at his wrist.

"What happened? Malfoy says you fell off your broom." Harry asked. Neville blushed.

"Yeah, it took off on me. Madame Pomfrey healed up my wrist, but Ron says that Malfoy took my Rememberall." Neville looked even more sad at the statement. "My Gran is going to kill me."

"Well didn't Ron try and get it back?" Sam said, looking furious. Neville sighed. "He did but he mostly just yelled at Malfoy. Then Madame Hooch came back and he didn't want to look like a tattletale."

"Well that's ridiculous." Samantha declared.

"He can't just keep the Rememberall, that's yours." Harry agreed.

"And we're going to get it back." Sam added.

"Yeah. Er….how are we getting it back?" He asked. Sam smirked. "With the power of numbers." She left again, this time towards the Hufflepuff table.

"What's she doing?" Neville asked curiously. Harry shrugged. "When Sam sets her mind on something nothing will get in her way. Even if its stupid." Like when Justin challenged her to a bacon eating contest the first week of school. Sam had eaten so much bacon she had had to go to the Hospital Wing. She hadn't even won the contest-not even close. A potion fixed her right up and she still made it to Herbology on time, but that's when Harry learned that Samantha was quite stubborn when she wanted to be. Even when it didn't make sense.

Samantha seemed to be arguing with Susan. Finally Hannah said something and Susan rolled her eyes, and the Hufflepuffs all stood up and followed Sam…. To the Slytherin table. Harry walked over to them just in time to see Sam stop in front of Draco. He looked up from his meal, confused, to see six Hufflepuffs standing over him. Samantha held out her hand.

"Give back the Rememberall Malfoy." Samantha said. Malfoy snorted. "Finders keepers Taylor. I'm not giving it back."

The Great Hall had quieted down to watch the confrontation. Harry was uncomfortably aware of the attention that they were drawing to themselves. Then Susan said something brilliant. "Thanks for picking up Neville's Rememberall for him Draco. We'll take it back now." She said this loudly, and her voice carried so that everyone who had paused to watch what was going on would hear her.

Malfoy looked furious. By wording it like that, he couldn't say he didn't have it, because to everyone else it sounded like he had already said he did. He couldn't simply say no, because everyone else, including the teachers, would then know he stole it.

"Here." He snapped, handing it to Sam. Samantha smiled triumphantly. Harry couldn't help but add, "That was really thoughtful of you to pick up the Rememberall for Neville." Justin jumped in with a, "Yes, what a kind action." Malfoy looked even angrier, but he couldn't do anything in front of all the students and teachers.

Sam handed the Rememberall to Neville and then they all sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

Up at the High Table, the professors were talking about the confrontation they had seen.

"Well, I'd never thought I'd see the day." McGonagall said. "That was surprisingly aggressive of a group of first year Hufflepuffs."

"They were standing up for their friend. That's what Hufflepuffs do." Sprout pointed out.

"Well yes, but never like that." Minerva argued. "Hufflepuffs rarely get into disagreements, and when they do its usually inside their house and quickly resolved."

"The circumstances are different, Minera." Flitwick said. "The Hufflepuffs were defending a Gryffindor against a Slytherin. There was bound to be a more public confrontation. Though," he admitted, "I am surprised all six of them stood up for Mr. Longbottom."

"Hufflepuffs will stand up for each other and their friends. Loyalty is one of their key traits after all." Sprout said. "Even if Mr. Longbottom is from a different House. Though you're right, I have yet to see a group of Hufflepuffs so strongly support each other like that for another House member, especially during the second week of school."

"Harry has the courage of a Gryffindor." Dumbledore joined in the conversation. "And Samantha has ambition that could rival a Slytherin. Putting those two in Hufflepuff….well, it will be an interesting seven years." The Professors nodded in agreement, and the conversation soon turned to other things. But Dumbledore kept his eye on the group of Hufflepuffs, who were currently digging into their food and laughing at something Justin had said.

 _Courage, ambition, loyalty and tenacity._ Dumbledore thought. _I will be quite interested in how those traits interact._

 **Dumbledore is on to something! Obviously the changes aren't too obvious right now, but over time they will be! After all, what's the point of a fanfiction if everything stays the same? :D**


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